One of the easiest ways to secure equipment such as a solar array to a roof or to the ground is to use structural pipe. Unfortunately, there are some difficulties with mounting equipment with pipe or other forms of structural tubing.
One problem is that there is no easy way to attach pipe directly to a roof or to the ground. Current techniques often require the pipe to have pre-made threads at the bottom end of the pipe or requires the threads to be made on the pipe on the jobsite. The threaded end of the pipe may then be screwed into a flange or base that is in turn secured to the mounting surface.
Another problem with conventional techniques is that when equipment is mounted with pipe, it is difficult to level the equipment. Some designs described below allow for a few inches of play at the top of the pipe that can be used to level the equipment.